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Tagaytay is one of the showplaces of the Philippines. Located on a bluff overlooking Taal Lake, the scenery is superb, the climate delightfully cool.

Although it is now a chartered city, Tagaytay is practically nothing more than a cluster of villages. Its permanent population is nostly made up of farmers, but it could have any number of transients, visitors to see the sights, and vacationists.

Before the road which opened Tagaytay out-of-town sightseers was built, the climb up the ridge was a tortuous one, and only a few other than the kaingin farmers of the place enjoyed the beutiful scenery and bland climate.

How did Tagaytay get its name?

This is a legend of how Tagaytay got its name.

On the top of the ridge now known as Tagaytay, there once lived during the Spanish times a farmer and his beautiful daughter. This farmer was very jealous of his daughter. He would not allow any suitor to see her. Whenever any young man dared to climb the ridge to pay court yo his daughter, he would chase him away with a bolo he kept ready for his waist. The bolo was useful not only around the farm, but also to drive away persistent young men who coulf not be kept away by the reputation of a belligerent father. Strangely, the daugther cooperatrd with her fatger in discouraging suitits by shoutibg “Taga, Itay! Taga, Itay (‘The bolo, father! The bolo, father!’)” whenever she saw anyone creeping up the bluff. But in spite of thr imminent bolo chase, not a few swains dared to climb just to take a peek at this young girl, the loveliest in all the surrounding country.

Intrigued by tge lonely ridge rising above the lake, a local Spanish official one day decidedto explore it. He climbed thr bluff with an aide. When they were about to reach top, a shrill voice cried out, “Taga, Itay! Taga, Itay!”

Then they saw a man run towards them brandishing a bolo. Of course, they never reached the top, but from that time on, the ridge has been called Tagaytay. It might have been an unfortunate experience for the Spaniard, but gave the ridge a name, Tagaytay, a corruption of “Taga, Itay!”

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